Feb 22, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff looks on during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The NHL appears ready to implement the concept of a coaches challenge for both goaltender interference and offsides calls. It will be difficult for me to put into words how much I hate this idea, but I’ll try.
As a fan I enjoy the human element of the game and accept there will be poor calls made. At the same time we also want accuracy to the point where a missed call doesn’t decide a game or championship. But it already has. Let’s go back to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final between the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. The “crease rule” had been in place all season with goals such as Hull’s waived off many times.
Yet with the Stanley Cup on the line, the powers that be in Toronto didn’t have he stones to pull both teams back on the ice and make the correct call. Hull’s goal should have been waived off and play resumed, and replay and those running it failed at the worst time.
Full disclosure as a Sabres fan, I thought it was a good goal because there was no interference with Hasek. But the way the rule was written and enforced it was to be waived off. Now I’ll have to suffer through varying interpretations of goalie interference and possible offsides calls. Are you kidding me?!
How many different variations of goalie interference will there be? One dozen? And are we going to hinder the pace of play and ruin dramatic moments in the game just to have the NHL look at calls they have proven unable to get correct with review? The only way I want a coaches challenge is if fans holding season tickets get to override a trade deadline deal by majority vote once per season. Sound ridiculous?! So is this. There’s no need for it.
–Adam Savard, Staff Writer
Adam wants to reach back into the annals of history by going back to “NO GOAL”. Well, goal or not I don’t think even a coaches challenge could have saved that Stanley Cup from the Dallas Stars – but it would have been hilarious to see Lindy Ruff stir the crowd up by yelling NO GOAL and throwing a little red flag from his pocket as well to the throng of Sabres fans that turned out to celebrate second place.
Next: Jacob Strozyk, Editor